Shaft bearing



-,-Feb 24, 1925. I 1,527,613

J. J. THACHER SHAFT BEARING 7 Filed Feb. 15, 1923 1 7'TOR/YE) Patented Feb; 24,. 1925.

UNITED STATES 1 Joan .1. museum, or wn'rrmnsrmnn, CONNECTICUT.

SHAFT Application filed February of my invention, among others, is the provision of a bearing capable of producing most eificient results in the matters of lu- 'brication and of durability.

i the shape of the blocks being shown by One form of device embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein "set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated inthe accompanyilig drawings, in which- Figure l'is a view of my improved bearing just before being turned {to annular form.

Figure 2 is a side view of the complete bearing. J

Figure 3 is a view of a portion of a stri cut from a piece of timber and from whic the blocks composing the hearing are produced,

dotted lines.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the-manner in which the strip from which the blocks are produced is cut from a iece of timber.

igure 5 is a detail view illustrating the case and my improved bearing partially inserted therein.

I have demonstrated to my ,satisfaction 7 that a bearing of the type herein contemplated and composed ofwood, if constructed to dispose the grain of the wood in a predetermined manner, will securewthe most efiicient results. These results will be attained; according to my present invention, by so forming the bearing that the lamina tions produced by each successive years growth of the wood shall be placed with their side edges forming the interior of the bearing, and by side edges I mean the edges that are produced when a cut is made through a piece of timber lengthwise thereof substantially on a radial line.

It is common in.the construction of bearings of this type to saturate such bearings -with oil, the oil being. retained between the laminations or layers of the wood. and by I disposing' these lamina-tions as above" de- PATENT OFFICE.

BEARING.

15, 1923. Serial No. 619,263.

" scribed the bearing will. be adapted for the supply of oil to its interior to a maximum extent, and, moreover, by forming the bearing as above described a structure of maximum strength is obtained.

, In constructing a bearing accordin to my present invention I cut a piece 6 m a stick of timber 7, as illustrated in Figure 4, the locationvof the piece 6 being shown in dotted lines in said Figure 4. This piece ,6 is then cut into blocks 8 as illustrated by the dotted lines in Figure 3, and .it will be noted that the laminations 9 produced by each successive years growth of the timber will extend across the blocks so that the side edges 1001? such lamina-tions will be on the interior of the blocks when secured together, as shown in Figure 1. In order to provide the structure, asshown in said Figure 1, the blocks are cut on planes 11 running diagonally to the sides of the piece 6. These blocks are then secured together as by an adhesive, and as shown in Figure 1, the

diagonal cuts producing miter joints 12.

The structure is then cut to annular form to produce the bearing 13, as shown in Figure 2, the opening through the bearing be ing of a size to provide a running fit for the shaft or like device to within the bearing. 1

be supported In the. use of bearings for shafting a I pull or force is usually exerted in-a. certain direction owing .to the strain caused by belts passing-over pulleys mounted upon the. shafting; and it is practically impossible, in installing a bearing, to anticipate the direction in which these strains will be exerted, owing to the fact that belts will extend in different directions, and it would, therefore, be practically impossible to tell in which direction: the greater forces will be exerted. Furtherthan this, owin to changes in such belting, the direction 0 the forces upon the shafting will be changed from time to time.

It, therefore, becomes important to provide a bearing that will meet this condition irrespective of the direction in which the forces may be exerted. In providing my improved bearing as illustrated and described herein, I have met this problem by so arranging the blocks with the lamjnations thereof disposed in a certain way whereby the resistance of the bearing to forces applied to shafting supported by the hearing will be substantially the same in all directions, and by cutting the blocks so that the v I am aware that wood has heretofore been employed in the construction of bearings and I do not broadly claim such a structure herein but, so far as I am aware, it has never heretofore been proposed to constructa bearing of wood with the laminations and grains so arranged that the side edges of the laminations and grains of wood will be in contact with the rotatin elements, as illustrated and described herein. It will be understood that a bearing of this type is inclosed within a metallic case or sleeve 14:, the latter being commonly mounted to 'turn on an axis extending laterally of the axis of said sleeve. In order to obtain the best results the bearing 13 is driven into the sleeve or case, and it will be seen that a bearing constructed as herein set forth has the grain so disposed as to enable this driving operation to take place with little liability of breaking the bearing, the force created by the blows being resisted by the bearing in a direction lengthwise of the grain thereof.

I claim v 1. A bearing formed of a plurality of pieces of wood, transversely cut from a block of wood having the grain running length wise thereof with the several. blocks having the grain running transversely, said blocks being beveled at their ends and secured together in end to end relation to form a tubular structure and said structure being turned to form an annular bearing with the grain of the bearing. extending radially thereof.

2. A hearing formed of a plurality of pieces of wood ,of segment formation, said bearing being of annular formation with the grain of-the several segments radiating di rectly from the axis of the bearing. v JOHN J. TEACHER. 

